Where does “handshape” come from?

handshape (English) comes from English Hand, from Middle English hond, from Old English hand, from Proto-West Germanic handu, from Swedish hand, from Old Swedish hand, from Old Norse hǫnd, from Proto-Germanic handuz — hand.

handshape (English): the held position of the hand and fingers in...

Definitions

  1. the held position of the hand and fingers in...

Ancestry of “handshape”, step by step

handshape traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English Hand

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishHandThe part of the forelimb below the forearm or wrist in a human, and the corresponding part in many other animals
2Middle Englishhondhand; Alternative form of hound
3Old EnglishhandA hand
4Proto-West Germanichanduhand
5SwedishhandA hand; A hand; the set of cards held by a player
6Old SwedishhandA hand; A direction; A behalf
7Old Norsehǫndhand
8Proto-Germanichanduzhand

via English shape

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishshapeThe status or condition of something; Condition...
2English-edUsed to form past tenses of verbs. In...
3Middle English-edAlternative form of -hede
4Old English-edformed into the likeness of, made into, shaped...
Every word from Proto-Germanic handuz